Rollercoasters to zoo animals: Nick McGrath enjoys the family fun at Flamingo Land Resort

I THOUGHT we’d just come to see tropical birds but that was all to change.

Flamingo Land features everything from tigers to the rollercoaster th[NICK MCGRATH]

Strapped into the aptly-named Velocity ride at North Yorkshire’s Flamingo Land Resort I sat next to my eight-year-old daughter Aoife on the superbike-themed attraction. “Awesome, totally awesome,” she squealed joyfully before we finally juddered to a gut-shuddering halt.

With my five-year-old son Art mercifully coming in just below the 1.22m height limit for the nearby Mumbo Jumbo, the world’s steepest rollercoaster, I selflessly accompanied him on the neighbouring fairground carousel. The theme park and zoo, 40 minutes east of York, is divided into several distinct areas. The high octane theme park thrills for older children are concentrated in the Metropolis and Seaside Adventure sections while there is plenty for younger ones in the Children’s Planet area.

New for this year is Dinostone Park, with its peddle-powered Cyclosaur, gently rotating mini-coaster Twistosaurus and fossil hunting junior archaeologist attraction Dino Dig. If you need to cool off head towards the aqua-themed Splosh! area for the Lost River Ride but don’t be fooled by the genteel introduction. For 10 minutes your log flume will voyage leisurely through the Lost Kingdom zoo passing yawning lions, inquisitive ostriches, wallowing hippos and lolloping giraffes and zebras before sluggishly scaling a 60ft ascent.

Only then is it time to brace yourselves for a dramatic plummet into a deep plunge pool and an unavoidable soaking. Unlike day visitors, who had to traipse home in soggy shoes and saturated jeans, we retired to our three-bedroom Boston log cabin to dry out. After only a short walk through the park you arrive at the Redwood area where nestled in a pretty garden setting is the park’s on-site accommodation of 30 lodges and log cabins.

Aoife having fun with the cuddly lemurs [NICK MCGRATH]

Knowledgeable and lively, the zookeepers bring the animals’ personalities to life

Our pretty Scandinavian-style lodge, with its contemporary decor, fully fitted kitchen and spacious lounge area, was perfect for some much needed respite. Rather than head out to experience the resort’s evening entertainment – shows include Take That and Bruno Mars tribute acts – we opted for a night in with a movie so we were refreshed for day two in the park. Where Flamingo Land really comes into its own is with its wildlife attractions and those tropical birds.

We swapped rollercoaster thrills and spills for more gentler strolls around the well-kept enclosures, home to 140 different species of mammals, reptiles and birds. They include Sumatran tigers, sub-Saharan giraffes, African tortoises and Burmese pythons. Fully expecting the undoubted stars of the show, the flamingos, to be sheltering from the intermittent downpours we were amazed to witness these incredible birds happily perched on a single leg, their neon coral feathers resplendent and almost fluorescent in the gloomy half-light.

Even more remarkable though, and unanimously the highlight of our weekend, was the animal encounter with an impossibly adorable colony of Madagascan ringtail lemurs. With their inquisitive ochre eyes, fluffy white faces and baby soft, clawless paws these incredibly tactile creatures were soon clambering playfully over the family in pursuit of the vegetarian snacks on offer and seemed particularly keen to use my son’s head as an armchair.

Along with rollercoasters, the park is home to 140 different species of mammals, reptiles and birds [ALAMY]

Even the mother of the group, with her baby tucked protectively into her pouch, seemed unperturbed by the children’s cries of delight until the snacks ran out and with them the lemurs’ interest in us. Although not before four of them had spent five minutes forensically licking the leather on my shoes. After the carefree frivolity of the lemurs we ventured indoors for an encounter with mealworm munching meercats before braving the elements again for the resort’s newest animal attractions.

Introduced this season, Flamingo Land’s tallest inhabitants, the giraffes, are majestic in close up. Sandpaper-tongued George, the daddy of the herd, was not backward in coming forward to gulp down our omnivorous offerings, almost swallowing my son’s hand in his haste to devour a leafy snack. Knowledgeable and lively, the zookeepers bring the animals’ personalities to life, none more so than in the wonderfully entertaining Sea Lion show, which both my children loved. Starring hoop-catching Merlin, basketball-balancing, flipper-applauding Marvin and colossal 600lb tour de force Clive, it’s an action packed acrobatic display not to be missed.

“Awesome, totally awesome”.

THE KNOWLEDGE

Flamingo Land (0871 911 8000/flamingoland.co.uk) offers three nights in a Boston Lodge from £556 (sleeps six), self catering. For stays in June. Includes use of the theme park, zoo, evening entertainment and leisure complex. Animal encounters from £20pp, full day, “zoo-keeper for the day experience” £175pp, “walk on the wildside” behind the scenes zoo tours £15pp. Yorkshire Tourism: yorkshire.com